tish and Foreign Bible Society contribute £93,033. See further particulars in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xc, part 1, p. 632.

*-. 1634.-HACKNEY COACHES FIRST used

IN LONDON.

'I cannot omit to mention any thing new that comes up amongst us, though never so trivial. Here is one Captain Bailey; he hath been a sea-captain, but now lives on the land, about this city, where he tries experiments. He hath erected, according to his ability, some four Hackney Coaches, put his men in livery, and appointed them to stand at the Maypole, in the Strand, giving them instructions at what rates to carry men into several parts of the town, where all day they may be had. Other hackney-men seeing this way, they flocked to the same place, and perform their journies at the same rate; so that sometimes there is twenty of them together, which disperse up and down, that they and others are to be had everywhere, as watermen are to be had by the waterside. Everybody is much pleased with it; for whereas, before, coaches could not be had but at great rates, now a man may have one much cheaper.' Dated April 1, 1634. (Strafford's Letters.) A few months afterwards, hackney-chairs were introduced: Here is also another project for carrying people up and down in close chairs; for the sole doing whereof, Sir Sander Duncombe, a traveller, now a pensioner, hath obtained a patent from the King, and hath forty or fifty making ready for use.' (Ibid.)

1802.-CATHOLIC RELIGION RE-ESTABLISHED

IN FRANCE.

To the attention of all our travelling countrymen we recommend the following fine passage of Sir Thomas Brown. 'Holy water and crucifix (dangerous to the common people) deceive not my judgment, nor abuse my devotion at all: I am, I confess, naturally inclined to that, which misguided zeal terms superstition. My common conversation I do

acknowledge austere, my behaviour full of rigour, sometimes not without morosity; yet at my devotion I love to use the civility of my knee, my hat, and hand, with all those outward and sensible motions which may express or promote my invisible devotion. I should violate my own arm rather than a church, nor willingly deface the name of saint or martyr. At the sight of a cross or crucifix, I can dispense with my hat, but scarce with the thought or memory of my Saviour: I cannot laugh at, but rather pity, the fruitless journies of pilgrims, or contemn the miserable condition of friars; for though misplaced in circumstances, there is something in it of devotion. I could never hear the ave mary bell' without an elevation, or think it a sufficient warrant, because they erred in one circnmstance, for me to err in all, that is in silence and dumb contempt; whilst, therefore, they directed their devotions to her, I offered mine to God, and rectified the errors of their prayers by rightly ordering mine own. At a solemn procession I have wept abundantly, while my consorts, blind with opposition and prejudice, have fallen into an excess of scorn and laughter.

"There are questionless both in Greek, Roman, and African churches, solemnities and ceremonies whereof the wiser zeals do make a christian use and stand condemned by us, not as evil in themselves, but as allurements and baits of superstition to those vulgar heads that look asquint on the face of truth, and those unstable judgments that cannot consist in the narrow point and centre of virtue, without a reel or stagger to the circumference.'-Religio Medici, fol., p. 2.

■ 'A church bell that tolls every day at six and twelve of the clock, at the hearing whereof every one, in what place soever either of house or street, betakes himself to his prayer, which is commonly directed to the Virgin.'-B.

G

Astronomical Occurrences

In MARCH 1821.

SOLAR PHENOMENA.

THE Sun enters Aries at 9 m. after 10 at night on the 20th of this month. He will be eclipsed in the morning of the 4th likewise; but as he will not have risen at that time, the eclipse will be invisible in this country. The conjunction takes place at 37 m. past 5 in the morning, in longitude 11 s. 30° 22′; the Moon's latitude at the moment being 1' south. The Sun will be centrally eclipsed on the meridian at. 17 h. 36 m. in longitude 95° 58' east, and latitude 8° 28' south.

The Sun rises and sets at the following times during every fifth day of this month. The times for any of the intermediate days are readily found by proportion.

TABLE

Of the Sun's Rising and Setting for every fifth Day.

March 1st, Sun rises at 35 m. after 6.

Sets 25 m. after 5

6th,

11th,

16th,

5

45

35

Equation of Time.

To find the true time at any place, add the following quantities to the time indicated by a good sundial, at the moment for which the time, as pointed out by a well regulated clock, is required.

The Moon's Passage over the Meridian.

The Moon's centre will be in the plane of the first meridian of this country at the following times during this month, which will afford opportunities of observing her in that position, if the weather prove favourable.

March 10th, at 53 m. after 5 in the evening

PHENOMENA PLANETARUM.

Phases of Venus.

The following are the comparative phases of Venus at the commencement of the present month, viz. March 1st {Enlightened part

Dark part

11.22814

0.77186

Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites.

Jupiter is so near the Sun during the whole of this month, that the eclipses of his satellites will not be visible, owing to the brightness of that luminary.

Other Phenomena.

The Moon will be in conjunction with Venus at 42 m. after 5 in the afternoon of the 2d of this month; and with Mars at 10 in the morning of the 3d. She will also be in conjunction with Mercury at 28 m. past 11 in the morning of the 5th. Mercury will be stationary on the 15th; he will attain his greatest elongation on the 7th; and be in his inferior conjunction at 30 m. after 4 on the 25th. The

Moon will be in conjunction with 3 in Taurus at 15 m. after 9 in the evening of the 10th; with a in Leo, at 20 m. after 5 in the morning of the 16th; and with a in Scorpio, at 34 m. after 6 in the evening of the 20th. Georgium Sidus will be in quadrature at 45 m. past 10 in the evening of the 23d; and Mars and Venus will be in conjunction on the same day, when Mars will be 21' N. of Venus. Jupiter will be in conjunction at 15 m. after 9 in the morning of the 27th. The Moon will also be in conjunction with a in Scorpio 22 m. after 2 in the afternoon of the 24th.

The Naturalist's Diary

For MARCH 1821.

Borne o'er the smiling plain on soaring wings,
The early lark in rapturous warblings sings;
Her joyful notes the lab'ring peasant cheer,

Who turns, well pleased, to Heav'n bis list'ning ear;
Then bending, ploughs in dark-brown waves the ground,
While crows and magpies hovering fly around.

With measured step the sower treads the plain,
And lib'ral show'rs around the golden grain.

THE superabundant moisture of the earth being dried up, the process of vegetation is gradually brought on: those trees which, in the last month, were budding, now begin to put forth their leaves; and the various appearances of nature announce the approach of SPRING. Yet the appearance of this delightful season is often retarded by cold and keen winds, and 'blowing weather.'

MARCH, though the hours of promise with bright ray
May gild thy noons, yet, on wild pinion borne,
Loud winds more often rudely wake thy morn,
And harshly hymn thy early-closing day.
Still the chilled earth wears, with her tresses shorn,
Her bleak, grey garb.

In late seasons the tender leaves of the forest trees are still fast wrapped up in the hard cases of their buds, and require some warmth and rain to give them vigour to unfold themselves. Still, however, the forest is not destitute of interest. The occasional